Call and message protection: Avoid unwanted calls and texts

Real-time alerts that help you spot potential scam calls and messages.
Automatic call blocking stops scammers and marketers from bothering you.
Privacy-first design — no call or message content is accessed or stored.

A hand holds a smartphone showing a call and message protection activity chart in the NordVPN app.

What is call and message protection?

Call and message protection is a NordVPN feature for mobile devices that flags potential scam messages and calls, helping prevent phone-based phishing and fraud.The feature checks your incoming messages for patterns cybercriminals typically use. Plus, the feature checks phone numbers and shows a clear warning if one looks suspicious, so you can decide whether to answer, decline, or send the call to voicemail. Call and message protection also offers call blocking — calls from scammers and telemarketers don’t appear on your screen at all. The feature runs automatically in the background without storing private data or requiring an active virtual private network (VPN) connection.

What are the benefits of call and message protection?

Get a simple, always-on security layer that helps you stop phone scams without changing how you use your phone.

A woman receives a warning that an incoming call may be a scam.

Real-time alerts before you answer

If a call looks risky, you’ll see a clear warning on your screen, giving you the option to hang up, route it to voicemail, or simply ignore it.

A man reads a suspicious billing text on his smartphone, which may be a phishing attempt.

Avoid phishing and account takeover

Message protection helps you recognize spam, scams, and phishing attacks in your text messages.

Call and message protection is turned on in the NordVPN app.

Privacy-conscious design

Call and message protection helps identify suspicious callers and texts based on caller info, known scam patterns, and suspicious keywords. It never accesses call content, and it never records and stores any of the messages.

A man answers a call on his phone while NordVPN’s call and message protection runs in the background.

Works without a VPN connection

Once turned on, call and message protection runs quietly in the background even when your VPN isn’t connected, so you get an alert whenever a suspicious call comes in.

A woman enables the spam call blocker on her phone.

You stay in control

Calls aren’t blocked automatically unless you turn on call blocking. Otherwise, you get an alert and choose to decline the call, let it go to voicemail, or manually block the number.

A man receives a suspicious call as the spam call blocker scans the caller’s number.

Automatic spam and scam call blocking

The system checks numbers against an updated threat database and patterns to catch new waves of spam and scam calls and automatically blocks them.

How call and message protection works

Protect yourself from spam calls

Call protection checks incoming phone numbers against up-to-date scam lists and fraud patterns in real time. A clear warning label appears on your screen before you answer, giving you control to decline the call, let it ring out, or block the number manually. You can also turn on automatic blocking to immediately decline potential scam calls. Even if you choose to keep auto-blocking off, suspicious calls will still trigger a warning, and every blocked attempt remains easily reviewable in your call history.

When it comes to privacy, the feature only checks phone number reputation data. It never accesses, listens to, records, or stores your live call audio or conversation content.

A smartphone shows an incoming call while the spam call blocker scans the unknown number.

Protect yourself from spam calls

When it comes to privacy, the feature only checks phone number reputation data. It never accesses, listens to, records, or stores your live call audio or conversation content.

How to enable NordVPN’s call and message protection

Set up call and message protection on your NordVPN app for Android and iOS devices in just a couple of steps:

Call protection screens incoming numbers and flags potential threats before you answer.

Open the NordVPN products screen

Open the NordVPN app and tap the products icon (four squares in the bottom menu).

Enable call and message protection

Select “Call and message protection” and turn it on.

Complete device setup

Follow the system prompts to grant required permissions. On Android, select NordVPN as your default Caller ID and spam app and grant call management permissions when requested.

Why users trust NordVPN

Don’t take our word for it — find out what our users have to say.

Laurie Mercer

@NoMeNoMy

Using @NordVPN for 6 months across the UK, Germany, the usa, Switzerland and now Spain 5g and hotel wifis. Using for WhatsApp calls, video calls and work email with no noticeable performance loss. Recommend.

5:15 PM · Nov 14, 2023

Nathan Corliss

@MrNathanCorliss

This is completely unsolicited praise, @NordVPN, is very helpful as an advertiser testing search ads, and as a work-anywhere person who needs to ensure I have a safe internet connection. Great value. So easy to use, I actually use it. Keep up the good work.

11:22 PM · Mar 17, 2023